Bobby Chacon

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Bobby Chacon, American boxer (born Nov. 28, 1951, Los Angeles, Calif.—died Sept. 7, 2016, Hemet, Calif.), won championships in two weight classes and was regarded as one of the most ferocious and exciting fighters on the west coast. He took possession of the vacant WBC featherweight title in September 1974 with a 9th-round technical knockout against Alfredo Marcano, and in December 1982 he won a 15-round unanimous decision against champion Rafael (“Bazooka”) Limón of Mexico to claim the WBC super featherweight belt. Chacon began fighting professionally in 1972 and was victorious in his first 19 bouts. He knocked out 23 of his opponents in his first 25 fights. He gained notice in 1974 after a thrilling technical knockout of Danny (“Little Red”) Lopez. Chacon made a single successful title defense before losing the featherweight crown in 1975 to Mexican boxer Ruben Olivares. Chacon’s four fights against Limón between 1975 and 1982 were regarded as especially memorable. Other notable battles included his 1983 defeat of Ugandan fighter Cornelius Boza-Edwards and his 1984 loss to Ray (“Boom Boom”) Mancini in the third round of an attempt to gain the lightweight championship. Chacon won his final seven bouts and retired in 1988 with a record of 59 wins (47 of them by knockout), 7 losses, and 1 draw. He was inducted in 2005 into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.